I-League 2015/16: Matsugae, Sushil help Mumbai edge Salgaocar for their first win
Goals from captain Taisuke Matsugae and striker Sushil Kumar Singh helped Mumbai FC defeat Salgaocar 2-1 for their first win of the I-League season at the Cooperage Ground in Mumbai on Sunday. Winger Jakichand Singh scored the goal for the away side to make the last twenty minutes a tightly fought contest.
Starting lineups:
Mumbai FC: Pawan, Clyde, Son, Matsugae, Brown, Rane, Kozawa, Arata, Pratik, Ashutosh, Sushil
Salgaocar FC: Sawant, Duffy, Gurjinder,
After starting the season with successive goalless draws, Mumbai FC coach Khalid Jamil beefed up the attack by bringing in Japanese striker
On the other hand, Salgaocar also made one change to their XI after consecutive defeats against Bengaluru FC and Mohun Bagan in the first two matches of the season. Cameroon striker Calvin Mbarga came in for Gilbert Oliveira to partner Daryl Duffy at the top, as coach Malky Thompson tweaked the formation from 4-5-1 to 4-4-2 in search of a win.
The hosts dominated the opening minutes of the match with Jayesh Rane and Eric Brown sending shots over the target. With the extra man in midfield helping Mumbai keep the ball, Salgaocar left Duffy and Mbarga at the top and went into a defensive formation to retrieve the ball. Their domination of the possession also opened up opportunities, only to see them wasted by Izumi, Matsugae and Pratik Chowdhary.
The goal finally arrived for the home team in the 37th minute with a fantastic strike from captain Taisuke Matsugae. The midfielder’s right-footed shot, from 25 yards, found the top corner giving Karanjit Singh in Salgaocar goal no chance. Altercations between the players after the goal resulted in Daryl Duffy earning a yellow card to sum up a dreadful half for the Goan team.
Within minutes into the second half, Mumbai went 2-0 up after a brilliant ball from Eric Brown found Ryuki Kozawa in the box and the striker took the ball wide before finding Sushil Kumar Singh in the middle for an easy tap in. The hosts spilled numerous chances to add to their tally, and they were made to rue their misses in the 66th
With a goal in the bag, Salgaocar had their tails up and flooded the Mumbai defence in the search of an equaliser. The hosts, who have been sitting comfortably in the match until the goal, were forced into a defensive formation with even striker Sushil Kumar behind the ball. Jakichand Singh pestered the home side’s defence for the final twenty minutes giving Ashutosh Mehta a hard time, who shifted to the left-hand side during the second half. However, the home side held their nerves in the final minutes to see out the Goan side’s attack and earn a well-deserved win.
With five points from three games, Mumbai FC moved into the fourth position in the table behind East Bengal on goal difference. While, Salgoacar lies at the bottom of the table with no points to their name. Mumbai will next face Bengaluru FC on
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